CHENNAI: In a tragic incident, a 32-year-old Ayyappa devotee was killed on his younger son’s birthday, when a portion of the concrete roof in his house caved in and fell on him at New Washermenpet in the wee hours of Wednesday. The incident happened when he was asleep in the pooja room of his four-decade-old house at Mangammal Thottam.
Police said the victim, Veera (32), a carpenter, was on a fast ahead of a pilgrimage to Sabarimala and he chose to sleep in the pooja room so that he could perform poojas early in the morning without disturbing the family members.
The victim and his wife, Mythili, were getting ready to celebrate the birthday of their second son Deepak Kumar (7). He had also bought a set of new dress for the boy on Tuesday evening after work. While the rest of the family slept in the hall, he went to bed in the pooja room as usual. Around 2.30 am on Wednesday, a portion of the concrete roof over the pooja room caved in and the loft slab fell and he was trapped under the debris.
“Only a portion of the roof caved in which the concrete loft slab ripped off from the wall and fell over Veera”, said a police official.
Alerted by his cries for help, Mythili, with the help of neighbours pulled him out from the debris and rushed him to the Government Stanley Hospital. However, Veera succumbed to his injuries. Police have registered a case and the body was handed over to the family after post-mortem examination.
Flutter Near Puzhal
The presence of a gang, wielding sickles, in an SUV parked near Puzhal prison created a flutter on Thursday. Before they could be inquired, the gang pushed aside a constable and escaped from the spot.